Splitting-machine.



B. F. MAYO.

SPLITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 19. 1915.

Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

5 SHEETSSHEET h B- F. MAYO.

SPLITTING MACHINE. APPLICATION nuso MAR, 19.1915.

1 ,206.01 5 Patented Nov; 28, 1916.

N m r N u g Wl/E/VTU? Bx F. MAYO.

SPLITTING MACHINE.

APPLiCATION FILED MAR. \9. l9l5.

Patented Nov. 28, 1916 5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

mam/70R B. F. MAYO.

, I5. 1,206,01 5. Patented Nov. 28, 1916. 5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

B. F. MAYO.

SPLITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 19. 1915.

1 206,0 1 5 Pat ented Nov. 28, 1916.

5 SHEE T$SHEET 5.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN F. MAYO, F SALEM, FIASSACH'USETTS, ASSIGNOB/ TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSQN, NEW JERSEY, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SPLITTING-MAOHINE.

Application filed March 19, 1915.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. MAYO, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salem, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Splitting-Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the draw- I ings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to splitting or evening machines and is herein illustrated in connection with a machine for splitting or evening soles which are to be used inthe manufacture of boots and shoes.

It is desirable in preparing a sole for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes to split or even the sole in accordance with its thickness. It has been proposed to carry out this operation by a machine which automatically determines the thinnest spot in each sole, or in a considerable extent of each sole, and then automatically adjusts the splitting mechanism in accordance with this thickness. It is not always desirable,however, to split or even a sole in accordance with the thickness at its thinnest spot. It may be desirable to disregard the thinnest spot and to split or even the sole in accordance with its thickness at some selected locality particularly since such a machine can be constructed more cheaply and caused to operate faster and more accurately than machines of the type first referred to above.

One feature of the present invention comprises splitting mechanism adapted to be ad-- justed for different thicknesses of stock, thickness detecting mechanism located in front of said splitting mechanism to which the stock'may be presented and from which it may be advanced to the splitting mechanism, and manually controlled means for operating the detecting mechanism and for adjusting the splitting mechanism. It is thus possible to select a desired locality in each piece of stock, for example the ball of the sole, and to split or even the stock in accordance with the thickness at this locality. The time which would otherwise be consumed in determining the thinnest spot in an extendedarea is thus saved, and certain complicated mechanism required for that operation is dispensed with.

Another feature of the invention com- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

Serial No. 15,543.

into position to be gripped and then released by the detecting mechanism after which fur ther movement of the sole in the same direction will advance it to the splitting mechanism.

These and other features of the invention, including certain details of construction and combinations of parts, will be described in connection with an illustrative machine and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of the front and one side of the machine in which the present invention is embodied; Fig. 2 is a perspective of the rear and one side of the machine; Fig. 3 is a perspective which shows more particularly the mechanism for throwing into and out of operation the one revolution clutch by which the detecting mechanism and splitting mechanismare automatically reset after a sole has passed through the machine; Fig. 4 is a perspective showing more particularly the relation of the detecting mechanism to the splitting mechanism, and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective of the lower part of the detecting mechanism.

Before proceeding to a detailed description of the machine its general modeof operation will be described. There is provided in the machine a splitting mechanism comprising the usual feed rolls and knife, the thickness to which a given piece of stock will be split depending, as usual, upon the position in which the adjustable upper roll is held. In front of the splitting mechanism is a thickness detecting mechanism comprising a detector and a support which together form a pair of jaws between which the stock may be gripped. The upper jaw, which acts as the detector, is rigidly connected with the bearings of the upper roll of the splitting mechanism so that when the detector is brought down upon a piece of stock, which rests upon the support, the upper feed roll is also brought down the distance from the lower surface of said roll to the edge of the splitting knife thus always being equal to or bearing a constant relation to the distance between the jaws of the detecting mechanism. lVith the detector and the upper roll in raised position the operator places the stock on the lower jaw or support and by depressing a treadle brings down the upper jaw or detector to grip the stock. Release of the treadle causes the support to be dropped slightly so as to free the stock, whereupon the operator advances the stock past the detecting mechanism to the splitting mechanism, After passing through said splitting mechanism the stock throws into operation certain mechanism which automatically resets the support in raised position and raises the detector, and with it the upper roll, to permit the next piece of stock to be presented to the machine.

Referring first to Fig. l, the splitting mechanism comprises the usual rolls 1 and 3 and stationary knife 5, this mechanism being substantially identical with that for example shown in United States Letters Patent to Nash No. 894,850 except for the manner in which the upper roll is adjusted. ()therwise the rolls are mounted and driven as in the patented machine, and no further description of this mounting or the manner of driving the rolls will be given, it, being understood that said rolls rotate continuously and that the thickness to which the stock is split depends upon the distance of the upper roll above the edge of the knife, said upper roll thus acting as usual as an adjustable gage member to determine the thickness of the finished stock. This upper roll 1 is carried by bearings, one of which is shown at 7, which are rigid with a head 9, said bearings being vertically adjustable in ways 11 in the frame 13 of the machine. These bearings, together with the head 9, are adjusted vertically by turning the pinions 23 integral with large screws 21 of fiat pitch which are threaded into upright bosses on the frame of the machine and have fast to their lower ends disk-shaped heads 19. These heads fit in suitable sockets in the bearings 7 and are held from vertical movement with respect to said bearings by plates 17 which are secured to said bearings. The pinions 2-3 mesh with the teeth of a rack bar 25. When therefore the rack bar is moved horizontally the pinions 23 are turned and the bearings of the upper roll together with the head 9 to which they are rigidily connected are moved up or down. The screws 21 have sufliciently large threads and are of sufiiciently flat pitch to hold the bearings firmly against vertical movement in any position to which they may be moved by said screws. A rod 15 is driven tightly into a socket in one of the pinions 23 and carries a wheel the purpose of which will be described hereinafter. In order to steady the head 9 in its vertical sliding movement slide bearings are provided between the upper part of the head 9 and the upper part of the frame 13 of the machine, gibs 14 being provided to take up wear. Rigid with the head 9, but adjustably secured to it for reasons which will presently appear, is the upper jaw or .detector 27 of the thickness detecting mechanism, said jaw being horizontally adjustable in guideways 29 in the head and held in place by screw bolt 31 (see Fig. 1) which passes through the slot 33 (see Fig. 4) in the head and is threaded into the jaw 27. It will thus be clear that when the pinions are turned the upper roll 1 and the detector 27 are moved in unison.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2 the mechanism for moving the rack bar 25 and thereby raising and lowering the head 9 will be described. The rack bar 25 is made in two parts connected by a turnbuckle 35. Pivoted to the back of the rack bar at 37 is a rod 39 also made in two parts and connected by a turnbuckle 41. This rod is pivoted at the end remote from the pivot 37 to an elbow lever 43 fulcrumed on a shaft and carrying the stud 47. The slotted upper end of a treadle rod l9 embraces a reduced portion of this stud, said rod being normally held in its uppermost position as'shown by a spring 51 which connects said rod with a rod 52 projecting horizontally from the head 9. The lower end of the rod 19 is connected by a coiled tension spring 54 with a treadle 56. hen now a sole or other piece of stock is placed on the lower jaw or support 53 and the treadle 56 depressed, the rack bar 25 will be drawn over toward the right, as viewed in Fig. 1, thereby lowering the head 9 and with it the upper jaw or detector 27 until the sole is firmly gripped between said upper jaw and the lower jaw or support 58. At the same time the upper roll 1 of the splitting mechanism is lowered, the lowest element of said roll and the lower surface of the jaw 27 being always in the same horizontal plane or in planes which bear a fixed relation to each other. The distance between the lowest element of the roll 1 and the edge of the knife 5, and consequently the thickness to which the sole will be split, is therefore exactly equal or bears a fixed relation to the thickness of the sole at the point engaged by the jaws 27 and 5.3. Inasmuch, however, as the sole is tightly gripped it is not feasible to push it forward to the splitting mechanism nor is it feasible, in the illustrative machine, to free the sole by raising the upper jaw 27 since by so doing the adjustment of the upper roll 1 of the splitting mechanism would be disturbed. Accordingly means are provided for dropping the lower jaw or support 53 slightly to free the sole and permit it to be moved forward to the splitting mechanism.

Referring now to Fig. 5, the lower jaw or support 53 is in the form-of a wedge as shown and is supported by three similar wedges which are contained in a substantially rectangular casing 55 rigid with the frame of the machine These wedges have their thin ends extending alternately in opposite directions, and the second and fourth wedges, counting from the top, extend at their thin ends through the casing so that they may be moved longitudinally. Disregarding for the present the second wedge, the fourth or lowest wedge has two inclined surfaces which engage complementary surfaces on the under side of the wedge above it. lVhen this lowest wedge occupies its extreme position toward the left, as shown, the wedges above it, including the support 53, will be held in raised position. This is the position shown in Fig. 1. When a sole has been gripped between the jaws 27 and 53 of the detecting mechanism in the manner which has been described, such sole may be freed without moving the upper jaw 27 by moving the lowest wedge to the right as viewed in Fig. 5; and this is accomplished automatically by the following mechanism: The lowest wedge is continually urged toward the right by a tension spring 57 which is connected at one end with a wall of the casing 55 and at the other end with a web which connects the two sides of the lowest wedge. In the position of parts shown in Fig. 5 the force of the spring is resisted by a latch 59 pivoted to the casing at 61 and held upwardly by a spring 63 so as to engage the end of the lowest wedge. In the operation of the machine this latch is given a downward pull, when the treadle 56 is released, to free it from engagement with the lowest wedge and to permit the spring 57 to pull said wedge to the right until its right hand end contacts with the wall of the casing 55. The effect of this movement is to permit the three upper wedges to drop slightly whereby the grip of the jaws 27 and 53 on the sole is loosened and the sole is released so as to permit the operator to advance the sole to the splitting mechanism.

In order to reset the jaw or support 53 inraised position ready for the presentation of another sole to the machine, the lowest wedge is pushed to the left by a slide 65 which is given movement to the left at the proper time, after which the latch 59 is pulled up again by the spring 63.

The withdrawal of the latch 59 from engagement with the lowest wedge, the returning of the wedge to its normal position, and

the swinging back of the latch into holding position will now be described. Referring to Fig. 1 a shaft 67 is angularly movable in bearings which are suspended by links 69 on the shaft 45, said shaft having fast to its inner end an arm 71 pivoted at 72 to the rod 19 and to its outer end a yoke 7 3 adapted in one of its positions to engage a hook 75. This hook is pivoted at 7 7 to the latch 59 and is continually urged toward the yoke 73 by a spring 79. When the treadle 56 is depressed to grip a sole and simultaneously to adjust the splitting mechanism, the arm 71 swings downwardly and through the shaft 67 raises the yoke 73 until the spring 79 forces the hook beneath the yoke so that y when the treadle is released and the rod 49 rises, the latch 59 will be pulled down to release the lowest wedge and permit the lower jaw or support 53 to fall whereby the grip on the sole is released. The sole is then fed by the operator to the splitting mechanism and split in accordance with its thickness at the locality which was engaged by the detecting mechanism. Before another sole is placed between the jaws 27 and it is necessary that the lower jaw 53 be raised again and that the head 9, together with the upper jaw 27 and the roll 1 also be raised so that the parts of the machine will occupy the position shown in the drawings. This is accomplished automatically by the passage of the previous sole from the splittin mechanism in the following manner: Referring to Fig. 3 a bracket 31, which is rigid with the frame of the machine, has pivoted to it at 83 a rocking member 85 one end of which carries a gate 87 in a manner and for a purpose presently to be described and the other end of which carries a small roll 89 normally held down as shown by springs 91. To one of the trunnions of this roll is pivoted a hook 93 which is continually urged to rock downwardly by a spring 95. When therefore the i sole emerges from between the rolls 1 and 3 of the splitting mechanism and passes beneath the small roll 89 thereby lifting it and moving it forward, the hook 93. is caused to engage a pin 97 on a bell crank lever 99; and when the sole passes from be neath the small roll 89, the bell crank lever is turned on its pivot 101 sufficiently to throw in a clutch which causes the gear wheel 103 to make one revolution and then come to restwith the hook 93 released from the pin 97 and the parts in the positions shown. Inasmuch as any suitable one revolution clutch may be made use of, the details of construction of the particular one shown will not be described. It will be sufficient to point out that the driving shaft "105 of the machine is rotated continuously, that the loose gear 107 is locked to it when the bell crank lever 99 is operated by the hook, and

that the lifting of a latch 109 by a pin 111 on the gear 103 disconnects the gear 107 from the shaft 105 and raises the hook 93 whereupon a spring 106 returns the parts to their normal positions.

The gear 103 carries a crank pin 108 upon which is pivoted one end of a link 110. Referring now to Fig. 2, the other end of this link 110 is pivoted to an arm 112 the hub of which is fast to the rock shaft Cons quently when the gear 103 makes one revolution the shaft L5 is given one complete oscillation. Referring now to Fig. 1, this rock shaft has fast to it two arms 11% and 113. he arm 11% has a projection 115 which is arranged to strike the under side of the elbow lever 13 and thereby through the rack 25 and pinions 23 raise the head 9, together with the upper roll 1 and the upper jaw 27, to its normal raised position. The arm 113 is pivotally connected by a link 117 with the slide rod.65 the purpose of the movement of which is to move to the left, as viewed in Fig. 5, the lowest wedge so as to raise the jaw 53 to its normal raised position. This slide has an upstanding shoulder or projection which extends through a slot in the casing 55 and engages one end of the lowest wedge.

lVith the construction thus far described the operation of the machine is as follows:--Referring first to Fig. 1, the machine is shown in its normal position of rest with the upper jaw or detector and the upper roll of the splitting mechanism raised, and the lower jaw or support 53 also raised but with sufficient space between said jaws to permit the insertion of a sole or other piece of stock. As has been explained, the rolls of the splitting mechanism are rotating at all times. The operator first inserts a sole, for example heel foremost, so that the jaws when brought together will grip the ball of said sole, and then depresses the treadle 56. At once the arm 71 is swung downwardly and the yoke 73 up wardly, and presently the hook snaps beneath said yoke. As soon as the top of the slot in the rod 19 strikes the stud 47 the elbow lever 43 is rocked and, through the rod 39 and rack bar 25, turns the pinions 23 thereby lowering the head 9 until the sole is gripped by the detecting mechanism, the spring 54 permitting further downward movement after the sole has been gripped and insuring a substantially uniform pressure on each sole by the thick ness detecting mechanism. The operator then releases the treadle, which is at once raised by the spring 51, thereby swinging the yoke 73 downwardly and drawing the latch 59 out of contact with the lowest wedge. Said wedge (see Fig. 5) is thereupon pulled to the right by the spring 57 to permit the wedges above it to drop enough to free the sole from the grip of the detecting mechanism. The operator then feeds the sole to the splitting mechanism. As the sole emerges from between the rolls 1 and 3 of the splitting mechanism (see Fig. 3) and passes beneath and'then from under the small roll 89, the one-revolution clutch is thrown in to rotate the gear 103 and thereby to oscillate the rock shaft 415 (see Fig. 1). The first half of the oscillation through the arm 114, which rises and strikes with its projection 115 the under side of the elbow lever 43, resets the head 9 in raised position, and through the arm 113, link 117 and slide 65 pushes the lowest wedge (Fig. 5) to the left. At the same time a projection or striker 119 on the arm 113 forces the hook 75 from engagement with the yoke 73 to permit the latch 59 to rise and engage the end of the lowest wedge once more. During the last half of the oscillation of the rock shaft 45 the arms 113 and 114.- are returned, and the hook 7 5 swings back into the position shown in the drawings. Normally, then, the detecting mechanism is set as shown to permit a. sole to be presented, and after the sole has passed through the machine the detecting mechanism is automatically reset to receive another sole.

The description of the machine thus far has been confined for convenience to the construction and operation of the detecting and splitting mechanism so that the operation of certain other features of the machine may be more readily understood. It has been stated that the upper jaw or detector 27 is horizontally adjustable in the head 9 by means of the holding bolts 31. The purpose of this adjustment is to permit a se lected locality in each sole to be used to determine the adjustment of the splitting mechanism. In order, however, to facilitate this selection a stop or gage 121 is adapted to be held alternately in raised and lowered position. This stop is pivoted at 123 to one end of a lever 125 the other end of which is pivoted at 127 to a lug on the casing 55. A rod 129 pivoted at its lower end. to the lever extends up through a slot 131 in a cross piece or web which is integral with the third wedge from the top, a pin 133 serving to raise the rod when the wedge is raised. It will thus be evident that when the upper wedge, which forms the jaw 53, is in raised position the stop 121 will pro-- ject above the bed of the machine between the detecting mechanism and the splitting mechanism, as shown in Fig. 3, and that when the jaw 53 has been dropped to free the sole the stop will be lowered out of the path of the sole. Thus when the parts of the detecting mechanism are in position to receive a sole the stop 121 is in raised position and will serve to locate the sole with respect to the jaws 27 and 53. Ordinarily it is desired to split a sole in accordance with the thickness at the ball thereof, and in this case the sole is pushed between. the jaws heel-end foremost until it contacts with the stop. If the upper jaw is not then located over the ball of the sole it may be so located after the clamping bolts 31 have been loosened.

In order to prevent a second sole from being presented to the splitting mechanism before the first one has left it the gate 87 is provided. This gate (see Figs. 1 and 3) is suspended from a rod 135 having trunnions which are received in slots formed in bosses in the end of the rocking member 85.

hen therefore the forward end of a sole passes beneath the small roll 89 the gate is closed and remains in this position until the sole passes from beneath the roll 89 Whereupon it is raised again by the springs 91. lVith the construction as thus far described it might be that in certain cases no skiving or chip would be removed from a sole. In practice, however, it is desirable to split a chip or skiving from each sole, the desired thickness of said skiving depending upon the nature of the stock of which the sole is composed. For this purpose the lower jaw or support of the detecting mechanism is made adjustable. Referring to Fig. 5, the second Wedge from the top projects at its thin end through the wall of the casing 55 and is adjustable horizontally by means of a screw 137, said screw being held from longitudinal movement by a collar fast thereto which engages a socket in a boss 139 formed on the third wedge from the top. This screw is threaded through a web of the second wedge so that turning of the screw moves the second wedge to the right or left thereby adjusting the jaw 53 up or down as may be desired. In this way the thickness of the chip or skiving which is removed from each sole may be predetermined. In practice the screw 137 is turned until the plane of the upper surface of the jaw 53 is below a horizontal plane through the edge of the knife a distance equal to the thickness of the chip or skiving which it is desired should be removed from the sole.

In order that the operator may readily see to what thickness each sole is reduced as it passes through the machine, a wheel 1 11 having a graduated scale marked thereon in irons is fastened to the upper end of the rod 15; and a pointer 143 arranged to cooperate with said scale is fastened to the head 9. Inasmuch as the rod 15 and wheel 141 rise and fall with the head 9, the pointer and scale preserve their relative vertical po sitions at all times. After a sole has passed from beneath the small roll 89 it is desired that it be carried completely out of the machine. For this purpose a'small corrugated roll 145 (see Fig. 2) which is continually rotated through a suitable gearing from the main driving shaft 105 cooperates with an idle presser roll 1%", said latter roll being held by arms which are pivoted to the frame of the machine about the axis 149.

Although the invention has been set forth in connection with a particular machine it should be understood that the invention is not limited in the scope of its application to the particular machine shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism adapted to be adjusted for different thicknesses of stock, thickness detecting mechanism to which the stock may be presented and past which it may be advanced to the splitting mechanism, and manually controlled means connected with both mechanisms for operating the detecting mechanism and for adjusting the splitting mechanism.

2. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism adapted to be adjusted for different thicknesses of stock, thickness detecting mechanism located in front of said splitting mechanism to which the stock may be presented and from which it may be advanced to the splitting mechanism, and manually controlled means for causing the detecting mechanism to grip the stock and for simultaneously adjusting the splitting mechanism.

3. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism adapted to be adjusted for different thicknesses of stock, thickness detecting mechanism adapted to grip the stock, and manually controlled means including a yielding member through which power is applied for simultaneously causing the detecting mechanism to grip the stock and for adjusting the splitting mechanism.

4. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism, detecting mechanism located in front of said splitting mechanism in position to permit the stock to be advanced between the members of the detecting mechanism to the splitting mechanism, means for simultaneously adjusting the splitting mechanism and operating the detecting mechanism to grip the stock, and means for thereafter loosening the grip of the detecting mechanism while maintaining the adjustment of the splitting mechanism.

5. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism, detecting mechanism located in front of said splitting mechanism in position to permit the stock to be advanced between the members of the detecting mechanism to the splitting mechanism, means for simultaneously adjusting the splitting mechanism and operating the detecting mechanism to grip the stock, means for thereafter loosening the grip of the detecting mechanism while maintaining the adjustment of the splitting mechanism, and means for relatively adjusting the detecting and splitting mechanisms to predetermine the thickness of the chip or skiving which is to be removed.

6. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, hav ing, in combination, splitting mechanism comprising an adjustable member the position of which determines the thickness to which the stock will be split, thickness detecting mechanism comprising a movable detector, and a rigid connection between 'said, detector and said adjustable member.

7. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism comprising an adjustable gage member, thickness detecting mechanism comprising a movable detector, a head movable toward and from the stock, said gage member and detector being carried by said head, and means for moving said head to cause the detector to press upon the stock and to adjust the age member in accordance with the position of said detector.

8. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism comprising feed rolls and a knife, thickness detecting mechanism comprising detectors between which the stock is gripped, and a rigid connection between one of said detectors and the bearings of one of said rolls whereby when said; last named detector is adjusted to grip the stock the bearings of said last named roll are similarly and equally adjusted.

9. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism, detecting mechanism located in front 01"- said splitting mechanism, said detecting mechanism being normally set to permit the presentation thereto of the stock, means for simultaneously adjusting the splitting mechanism and for causing the detecting mechanism to grip the stock, means for loosening the grip of the detecting mechanism to free the stock, and means for re setting the detecting mechanism.

10. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism, detecting mechanism located in front of said splitting mechanism, said detecting mechanism being normally set to permit the ing, in combination, splitting mechanism,

detecting mechanism located in front of said splitting mechanism, said detecting mechanism being normally set to permit the presentation thereto of the stock, means for simultaneously adjusting the splitting mechanism and for causing the detecting mechanism togrip the stock, means for loosening the grip of the detecting mechanism to free the stock, and automatic means operated by the piece of stock as it passes from the splitting mechanism for resetting the detecting mechanism.

12. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism comprising an adjustable gage member the position of which determines the thickness to which the stock will be split, detecting mechanism comprising a supportfor the stock and a detector movable toward the support to engage the stock, said detecting mechanism being normally set with the de tector and support in separated relation to permit the stock to be placed between them, means for moving the detector toward the support to engage the stock and for simultaneously adjusting said gage member, means for thereafter moving said support to permit the stock to be fed to the splitting mechanism, and means for resetting the detecting mechanism to receive another piece of stock.

13. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism comprising an adjustable gage member the position of which determines the thickness to which the stock will be split, detecting mechanism comprising a support for the stock and a detector movable toward the support to engage the stock, said detecting mechanism being normally set with the detector and support in separated relation to permit the stock to be placed between them, means for moving the detector toward the support to engage the stock and for simultaneously adjusting said gage member, means for thereafter moving said support to permit the stock to be fed to the splitting meehanism, and means for simultaneously resetting the splitting and detecting mechanisms after the stock has been. acted upon by the splitting mechanism.

14. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, hav ing, in combination, splitting mechanism, thickness detecting mechanism located in front of said splitting mechanism, said detecting mechanism being normally set to permit the presentation thereto of the stock, means for simultaneously adjusting the splitting mechanism and for causing the detecting mechanism to grip the stock, means for loosening the grip of the detecting mechanism to free the stock and permit said stock to be advanced to the splitting mechanism, a member located in the rear of the splitting mechanism in the path of the stock, and mechanism for resetting the detecting mechanism connected with and thrown into operation by movement of said member by said stock.

15. A leather splitting machine, having, in combination, a pair of rolls and a knife, one of said rolls being normally spaced a considerable distance from the other, manual means for adjusting one of said rolls toward the other and means for positively resetting said rolls in spaced relation after the splitting operation.

16. A leather splitting machine, having, in combination, a pair of rolls and a knife, one of said rolls being normally spaced a considerable distance from the other, manual means for adjusting one of said rolls toward the other, and automatic means operated by the stock in its passage through the machine for positively resetting said rolls in spaced relation after the splitting operation.

17. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism, thickness detecting mechanism by which the stock is gripped, a stop to facilitate presentation of the stock to the detecting mechanism, said stop normally projecting into the path of the stock from the detecting mechanism to the splitting mechanism, and means for moving said stop out of said path preparatory to permitting said stock to be advanced to said splitting mechanism.

18. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism, thickness detecting mechanism by which the stock is gripped, a stop to facilitate presentation of the stock to the detecting mechanism, said stop normally projecting into the path of the stock from the detecting mechanism to the splitting mechanism, one member of said detecting mechanism being adjustable toward and from said stop to predetermine the locality in said stock to which said machine is responsive, and means for moving said stop out of said path preparatory to permitting said stock to be advanced to said splitting mechanism.

19. A machine of the class described comprising a support for a piece of stock, a deoperate upon different localities in said stop, a stop for locating the forward end of the stock as it is presented to the detecting mechanism, and connecting means between said detecting mechanism and said stop for raising and lowering said stop.

20. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism, thickness detecting mechanism located in front of said splitting mechanism whereby the stock may be advanced from said detecting mechanism to said splitting mechanism, a gate located in front of said splitting mechanism, and means for closing said gate after said stock has entered said splitting mechanism, said means being constructed and arranged to open said gate after said stock has left said splitting mechanism.

21. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism, detecting mechanism, means for simultaneously adjusting the splitting mechanism and operating the detecting mechanism to grip the stock, and means for thereafter loosening the grip of the detecting mechanism while maintaining the adjustment of the splitting mechanism.

22. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism, detecting mechanism, means for simultaneously adjusting the splitting mechanism and operating the detecting mechanism to grip the stock, means for thereafter loosening the grip of the detecting mechanism while maintaining the adjustment of the splitting mechanism, and means for relatively adjusting the detecting and splitting mechanisms to predetermine the thickness of the chip or skiving which is to be removed.

23. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism, detecting mechanism, said detecting mechanism being normally set to permit the pres-.

entation thereto of the stock, means for simultaneously adjusting the splitting mechanism and for causing the detecting mechanism to grip the stock, means for loosening the grip of the detecting mechanism to free the stock, and means for resetting the detecting mechanism.

24:. A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism, detecting mechanism, said detecting mechanism belng normally set to permit the presentation thereto of the stock, means for simultaneously adjusting the splittingmechanism and for causing, the detecting mechanism to grip the stock, means for loosening the grip of the detecting' mechanism to free the stock, and automatic means for resetting the detecting mechanism.

A machine for splitting a piece of stock in accordance with its thickness, having, in combination, splitting mechanism adapted to be adjusted for different thicknesses of stock, thickness detecting mechanism located in front of said splitting mechanism to which the stock may be presented and from which it may be advanced to the splitting mechanism, a table for supporting the stock during the advancing movement, manually controlled means for causing the detecting mechanism to grip the stock and for simultaneously adjusting the splitting mechanism, and means whereby the detecting and splitting mechanisms may be relatively adjusted to predetermine the thickness of the chip or skiving which is to be removed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

BENJAMIN F. MAYO.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

